‘War Master’ Barnett Expects Tougher Fight with Kharitonov

Josh
Barnett has apparently taken a new nickname, one more befitting
of his larger-than-life persona in the cage.

“You’re now looking at ‘The War Master,’ as dubbed by the band Bolt
Thrower. I am he,” said Barnett (Pictured; file photo) Saturday in
a post-fight video interview with Showtime Sports. “This is what
happens when you get a name like ‘Babyface’ and you turn 33. That
stuff has to take a backseat at some point.”

Barnett controlled the bout from start to finish, shooting early
for a double-leg takedown and planting “The Grim” on the canvas
with a spinebuster-like slam. Barnett then mounted Rogers, electing
to take his time and wear his opponent down, a strategy which some
fans in attendance did not appreciate.

“I know there were some boos out there, and I don’t blame you guys.
I played it relatively soft as far as opening up for strikes,”
admitted Barnett, returned from an 11 month layoff for the bout. “I
knew [Rogers] had a good gas tank for a big guy and that he would
explode in all of his actions. There wasn’t going to be anything
subtle about what he did. [Fighting] a guy that big and that active
and that agile, I wanted to pin him out. In my mount, the drive
from my hips was really killing his wind. So while it wasn’t super
exciting to watch, it was ultimate very beneficial to me.”

According to Barnett, his strategy to control Rogers in the mount
not only neutralized his foe’s explosiveness on the mat, but also
opened opportunities to attack in the standup. This was evidenced
in the beginning of round two, as Barnett landed a clean
combination before once again taking Rogers for a ride.

“I wasn’t going to open up too much. I’d look for a short elbow or
whatever, but there was a lot of pressure. [I wanted to] take his
gas tank away and really get him thinking about drowning on the
ground,” said Barnett. “Then, if we ended back up on the feet, I
knew I’d have a very easy setup into my strikes, and it turned out
I did. [I landed] a nice left hook and uppercut. He went for double
underhooks, but I finished out with a double overhooks salto. Don’t
try to step in on me like that.”

After the bout, Showtime Sports commentator Gus Johnson attempted
to conduct an interview with the fighter formerly known as “The
Babyfaced Assassin.” Instead, Barnett snatched the mic and decided
to take matters into his own hands.

“I love Gus. He’s my boy. I’ve supported him since his induction
into MMA. He’s a professional and he’s very funny, actually,” said
Barnett, “but I’m out here to cut promos. I make Gus’ job easy.
Just hand me the mic and I’ll take care of it.”

Up next for Barnett in the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix
semifinals is hard-punching Russian Sergei
Kharitonov, the sambo practitioner who violently dispatched
former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei
Arlovski to earn his spot in the round of four.

“It’s going to be a tougher fight,” said Barnett. “He’s got more
experience, and he’s a better all-around fighter [than Rogers].
Sharp boxing, good kickboxing, very tough, granite chin and a
better ground game, but I know I’ve got the tools to beat him as
well. It’s just going to be a different look.”